Trapped The Field Trip
by LeaO'Neill
Summary: Daniel, Hammond and Nicole go on a 'field trip'.


TRAPPED ("The Field Trip")

By Lea O'Neill

Rating: PG 13

Category: Drama/Adventure

Season: Any  
Spoilers: none

Pairing : none

Summary: Daniel, Nicki and General Hammond go on a 'field trip' that has drastic consequences.

Disclaimer: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement intended. The original characters, situations and story are property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without author consent.

Trapped

General George Hammond was extremely proud of his SG program. He enjoyed showing it off for various government officials when it was called for. He gave tours of different levels in the Cheyenne Mountain project when he was authorized and was knowledgeable of them all. He was also proud of his teams, especially the stellar SG-1. He would have loved to have the opportunity to give them the recognition and accommodation they deserved.Lately, the General had an opportunity to let his program shine, as a Pentagon special projects team toured through, inspecting various aspects of Homeland Security Project that had been implemented in NORAD as well as the SGC. Hammond was more then happy to lead a panel of Pentagon specialists through his programs. Today he was helped out by the NORAD Training Director, who had a spiel of her own on the new Homeland Defenses class given to SGC and NORAD staff.Major Nicole Walker had been The NORAD Training and Special Ops Director for the defense program for two and a half years now, and was brilliant when it came to implementing new classes or training sessions for the military staffers, just the way the Pentagon wanted. She was also the reigning shining star when it came to press conferences and liaisons with the Pentagon. She was second only to Major Paul Davis when it came to answering to the top officials at the Pentagon.But it was getting a little more difficult for Major Walker to carry on her usual jaunts through the mountain. She was seven and a half months pregnant.

Major Nicole Walker and Colonel Jack O'Neill were expecting a child together in little more then two months. Due to that development, Major Walker spent more time above ground, then in the SGC where it was less accessible. Since Nicole was not SGC staff, per se, she and Colonel O'Neill had a little more freedom when it came to their relationship. Which, since becoming pregnant, had taken on an even more serious tone. That included Nicole moving in to Jack's house. They couldn't very well raise a child between two homes. It also included flaunting the two-carat blue 'diamond' ring, from Chulak on her left hand.

So, with Nicole's new office stationed in the NORAD base of operations, above the low levels of the SGC, all the programs directors had access to her expertise and instruction.  
When General Hammond got wind of the Pentagon higher ups coming for a tour, he called Nicole.  
"I have it all arranged, general," she explained on the phone.  
"I should have known, Major. You're too organized for your own good."

Nicole smiled. "We'll be down to the Gate room about 1300, is that okay? I checked with Sergeant Davis on any incoming traffic with none expected."

"That'll be fine Major. See you then."

The tour went off without a hitch. General Hammond shone even more so in Major Walker's high praise of him as commander of the SGC program. The Pentagon officials looked very satisfied and all generally impressed with the programs Nicole had helped implement.  
She sat in the General's office after they had all gone. He had a smile on his face.  
"As usual Major, you've done a fine job," he said."Thank you sir."

SG-1 was off world, on a mission Jack hadn't even discussed with Nicole, so she knew it must be serious. Jack, Carter and Teal'c, along with a dispatch of Marines were on the mission. Daniel Jackson, to his chagrin, and due to his still recovering from a sprained ankle, had to stay behind.  
"How's everything upstairs?" he asked.  
She nodded. "I think they were pleased with the NORAD programs as well," she told him.  
Hammond nodded, then smiled again. "And, on a personal note, how's everything with Jack Junior?"

Nicole patted her impossible to hide abdomen. She had been wearing the issue maternity uniforms for about a month now. "Oh, we're cooking right along."

"Well, if you need anything while the Colonel is away, you know you can always call on me."

She smiled. "Thank you sir." Then her face took on a serious look. "Any word from them?"

Hammond knew she was talking about SG-1. He shook his head, no.  
"But you know, they say no news is good news."

She nodded. "On another note, I have project for you, if you're interested."

Nicole shrugged. "Well, I've got nothing better to do."

"We've been invited to tour a facility in Nevada. I was already planning on Dr Jackson accompanying me, but I'd like your input as well. The main purpose of the facility will be to research and warehouse artifacts and other objects brought back through the Stargate. The facility is new and supposed to be a much better place for the research than the current housing at Area 51. But, something in my old bones tells me there might be more to it. You've got a good head on your shoulders. I'd appreciate another military mind's opinion."

Nicole was flattered he'd thought of her, but also knew he was trying to keep her distracted from worrying about Jack. "Well, I think I can arrange my schedule. What time do we leave?"

* * *

So Nicole, Daniel and the General flew out to Nevada's highly secure Area 51. "Well, you and me can gimp along together," Nicki told Daniel cheerfully. She was just happy to be able to wear the loose fitting fatigue pants and a plain gray tee shirt.  
Daniel gave a weak smile. He knew as well as she did that he'd rather be with his team. But he supposed keeping the pretty Major company was not all that bad.  
"Think of it as a field trip," she said. "We get a free tour, possibly lunch. What more could a girl want?"  
  
The facility was standard windowless, concrete and steel. It was painted sand tan to blend in with the endless desert that stretched for countless miles through the Nevada horizon. The building was long and low, most of the structure being concealed deep in the ground, like many of the government's secret hideaways. At least it would be cool inside. The temperature was hovering around the hundred point and it was only ten a.m. General Hammond, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Major Walker disembarked from the Humvee, escorted by Colonel Deek. The driver sped off presumably to a parking area. After a twenty-minute bumpy ride over the rough terrain from the landing area, the three were glad to be on their feet.

"As you can see General," the Air Force Colonel was explaining. "Our new expansion Project 309 is isolated as well as concealed, even from the nearest base." They walked through the front of the building, where the Colonel had to use a key card system to enter, and then a fingerprint identification system to go past the main entrance.  
Though the building was not yet in general use, a military guard stood at the front entrance and saluted the ranks as they entered.  
"So, you can see how this would be an asset to the artifact storage and analysis," the Colonel spoke to Jackson now, as he used his key card in the elevator.  
"Well, it is clean," Daniel commented. As thus far, he hadn't been very impressed with the conditions some of the artifacts brought back through the gate were being stored in.

"And we have labs beyond compare, where we'll be able to study the high technologies in better regulated conditions," he explained. He was almost in rank with a used car dealer, Daniel thought. The Colonel was trying to 'sell' his project to general Hammond. Hammond was not naïve enough not to know that Colonel Deek was seeking to have the entire Stargate Project brought to Area 51. He was anticipating Hammond's retirement and perhaps getting himself in charge of the SG program. And there was always the fear that more Pentagon budget cuts were coming. They got off the elevator on lower level 6, the building having seven levels in total. The Colonel had to use a fingerprint ID system again once they were off the elevator to gain entry into the first laboratory.  
"Your security system is good quality," Nicole Walker told the Colonel, after a fairly quiet period, in which she'd been observing. She had all the newest Homeland Security program data on her desk back at NORAD that detailed systems like the one she was seeing at the facility. "Thank you. We've been quite successful in implementing a flawless system. All controlled by a computer system outside the building."

Nothing was flawless, Nicole knew.  
  
After almost an hour of touring the building, Nicole was growing tired. She'd been on her feet all morning, since getting off the plane. That ride over hadn't helped her back much either. Nicole had found that, due to her various injuries over the years, the pregnancy was taking its toll on causing old wounds to make themselves known. Although she was only 12 pounds heavier, her back felt like she was carrying an anvil around.  
Daniel noticed that the Major had slowed her pace. He also noticed she looked a bit weary.  
"Colonel, do you mind if you and the General finish out the level? My ankle is throbbing a bit," Daniel said, picking a convenient spot near a foyer with chairs and what looked like offices nearby.  
"Of course Dr," the Colonel said with a gracious smile. "We have mainly office facilities on this level. Major?"

"I think I'll hang back with Daniel," she said with a polite smile. "Well, we'll only be a short time. We'll pick you up on the way back." Daniel nodded and smiled, taking a seat.  
The General and Colonel kept walking in what looked like an endless maze of rooms and hallways.  
Nicole thankfully sat down.  
She sighed. "Thanks Daniel," she said offering him a grateful smile.  
He shrugged. "Well, the ankle is a little sore." He knew full well that Nicole never complained about the hard work she did or how bad she probably felt at times. She had never once used the pregnancy as an excuse, probably he knew, because she had worked so hard to achieve her status in a man's world.  
"So what do you think about this whole…" he gestured around. "thing?"

"I think it's a lemon with a good paint job and some wax," she said truthfully. "I think Colonel Deek has designs on the SG program and he and the higher ups involved are looking to relocate the whole thing to Area 51."

Daniel nodded. He tended to agree.  
  
Before the two had time for further discussion, there was a deep rumble and the lights suddenly dimmed, brightened, dimmed again and then went dark. A loud boom then followed the darkness. The concussion from the explosion didn't hit where Daniel and Nicole were sitting until a split second later, when it tossed the chairs they were sitting in like matchsticks, propelling the two into the wall.  
  
Daniel, his glasses askew, felt like he'd been hit in the head with a hammer. His ears were ringing and his eyes were blurry. There was smoke, or concrete debris dust in the air. There must have been an auxiliary power generator that kicked on, because there were dim lights at various stations down the hall that Daniel could vaguely make out.  
He crawled toward where Nicole had been last, the bite of debris stinging his hands.  
"Nicole?" he called. He found the wall opposite where he'd been. With touch more than sight, he finally touched her leg.  
He knelt beside her. "Nicole?" he asked again.  
She moaned in response, beginning to come to.  
"What…what happened?" she asked, then coughed from the dust. The air was clearing a little, but not enough to see more than a few feet.  
"Some kind of explosion," Daniel said. "Are you okay?" he was concerned not only for her, but for the baby.  
She gradually sat up. "I think so." She tried moving all her extremities, with no severe pain. She touched a hand to her abdomen, which she'd been curled around when she landed. "I think we're okay," she said again.  
"God, General Hammond," Daniel said then, with concern. "We better try to find him," Nicole agreed. She slowly got to her feet with Daniel's help.  
They made their way through the rubble of what was once a foyer and hallway. They passed several offices of which some had faired the blast all right. Most were in ruins of concrete.  
They went down the corridor where the Colonel and General had last been seen. Then Daniel looked forward with dismay. Some of the support beams had collapsed, along with a wall to their right, just before where Daniel had remembered the elevator to be located. There was no way through the pile of fallen beams, ceiling and wall. "Doesn't look promising," Nicole pointed out.

He shook his head. "No it doesn't." They backtracked, going down the other hallway off the foyer. This one had not suffered as much damage. But it too was a dead end. "It doesn't look like there's a way out of this mess," Daniel said despondently.  
Nicole refused to give up. "There's got to be something, a duct system, air vent…something."

"I thought I saw an intercom system back there. I wonder if it's hooked up?"

They went back to what was indeed and intercom in the hallway outside one of the expansive offices.  
Daniel hit the talk button.  
"Hello? Anyone there? Hello?" A silence followed, but then a crackle as the speaker came to life.  
"Daniel? Is that you?" It was General Hammond's familiar drawl.  
"General, thank God. Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Are you and Nicole?"

"We're good. But we're trapped."

"We managed to get to the stairs, but I'm not sure if the Colonel can make it up. He was pretty badly wounded."

Nicole moved closer and hit the talk button. "Sir, you'll have to get him up the stairs. You won't be able to get out of the stair way without his fingerprint ID, that is, if the system is still intact up there."

The device crackled again. "That's an affirmative Major. I'll do my best."

"We'll just…wait right here," Daniel said. "Good luck sir."

Daniel and Nicole found the most comfortable office nearest the intercom, in case any more communication was forthcoming. There was no furniture in many of the offices, but this one had carpet at least. Nicole sat down near the door. She now had time to mull over the soreness in her shoulder. She gingerly felt the spot and winced.

Daniel, who was pacing, noticed. "Hey, I thought you said you were okay," he said, coming over to crouch beside her.  
"I've had worse," she told him. "It's not dislocated. Just a bad bruise." "You know, if anything happened, Jack would never forgive me." Nicole gave him a brief smile. She got a far off look in her eyes, and they suddenly threatened to spill glycerin tears.  
Daniel sat down, cross-legged, next to her.  
"I really love him," she told Daniel, a bit of a blush creeping into her cheeks. She was glad the light was dim.  
Daniel nodded. "I know. It's easy to see." There were a few moments of silence, and then Nicole spoke again.  
"You've known Jack for a long time, right?"

"About seven years I guess," he agreed.  
"Is he… I mean, does he seem…happy?" Daniel fought off a laugh. "I'll be honest Nicole. I've never seen Jack as happy as he is now. I've never seen him so at peace. It's like, for so long he was in some kind of torment, a war with himself. And then it eased off a bit, but it didn't fully go away until you came along. And with the baby…I mean it, Jack is probably the happiest guy I know now. And I never thought I'd say that about Jack O'Neill." She smiled a little.  
"Damn, I hate these hormones," she said tersely some time later. "I feel like a blubbering idiot half the time."

Daniel chuckled. "Well, it's natural, I've been told."

"So, I heard that you were a pilot then a medic. How did you end up at the NORAD?."

Nicki rubbed her dust-covered face. "I wanted to fly. Lived for it. War wasn't what I had planned on. Then I was injured. I couldn't fly. I became a medic just to stay on."

"The Persian Gulf?"

She nodded. "And there's always someone's war going on somewhere. Being a medic then, I saw so much. Death, dying, hurt…. I just…I didn't want to take on any more pain. Every time I watched another kid die, it was like his death took a piece of me with him. Before long, I didn't have enough pieces left to go around." Nicki remembered so vividly it seemed like yesterday, the missiles exploding like deadly fireworks in the sky; the rat-tat-tat fire of the machine guns in the distance; the fighter jets soaring overhead. And the men wounded and dying in her MASH unit.  
  
They talked about war…pain…dying.  
  
Daniel told Nicki about Shar'e. Nicki told him about Michael the Marine she'd been engaged to during the war. She told him how he was killed, and how she had been helpless to stop his death. They had both experienced the same pain. It was like a kindred bond, like when two people who never met are both in a bad accident. They have the pain, the suffering, and the understanding in common.  
Somehow, they were both comforted.

* * *

General George Hammond was having a rough go of it. He managed to get Col Deek up the long flights of stairs to the ID system, which thankfully was still working. But in the front lobby, Deek, with a badly broken leg and other internal injuries, urged Hammond to go on alone. Hammond hid Deek inside a locking janitor closet, in case there was someone with hostile purposes seeking them.  
Hammond took his side arm with him, not knowing what he was going to face. He had a deep gash on his head and a splitting headache. But other than that, had managed to get out unscathed.  
He maneuvered out the front door, the desert heat hitting him like a wall. The front entrance guard was gone. Hammond crept along the wall, trying to make himself as small a target as possible, while making his way to the outbuildings he'd noticed on arrival at the facility. He'd seen some vehicles there.  
He stopped, ducking down behind some cargo boxes when he heard voices.  
"So you think Deek and Hammond bought it?" a male voice growled.  
"I don't see how they couldn't have," another returned.  
The two unseen men were inside the garage Hammond was trying to get into.  
"I planted enough C-4 on that floor to take out a ten story building." "Yeah, but this is a damn concrete steel reinforced bomb shelter. You think they're dead?"

"Look, Harmon, by the time they're missed, they'll be dead, if they're not already. There's no getting into or out of that place now. I sealed off everything. Without Deek, no one's going anywhere." "Yeah, then NID can take over the Stargate program just as planned. Let's get hold of the Colonel. Tell him we're finished here."  
  
The two men walked away. So, it had been a plot to get Hammond out of the way. Only if Colonel Deek had been in on it, he'd been double-crossed. Fit perfectly with NID.  
Hammond waited until he was sure the two men had left, and then he snuck into the garage. He had a choice of an old Jeep or a Cargo truck.  
He chose the Jeep.  
Though it had been years, the General found he was not lacking in other skills. He deftly hot-wired the Jeep.  
Once inside, he jammed gears as he peeled out of the garage.

* * *

"….' Nothing you could do'…"

"'Cause I'm stuck like glue'…"  
  
"'To my guy,'" Nicki finished.  
  
They had been speaking song lyrics that popped into their heads for about an hour. They bet pennies to see who could stump the other. Each had to finish the lyric where the other left off.  
  
"Your turn," Nicki said.  
  
" ' You're just too good to be true.'"  
  
"Can't take my eyes off you."  
  
" ' You'd be like heaven to touch.'"  
  
" 'I wanna hold you so much.'"  
  
They played another round with the Frankie Vallie song.  
  
" 'Only the lonely,'" Nicki started out this one.  
  
"Know the way I feel tonight."  
  
"Only the lonely know this feeling aint right."  
  
"There goes my baby, there goes my heart."  
  
The Roy Orbison classic got another few minutes by.  
  
"That was too easy," Daniel complained.  
  
"I've got one," Daniel said finally. " 'Young man…there's no need to feel down…get yourself off the ground…there's no need to be unhappy…there's a place you can go…you can stay there and I'm sure you can find…many ways to have a good time…"  
  
Nicole had to burst out laughing as she sang " 'Its fun to stay at the YMCA…"  
  
It was getting late. Daniel kept glancing at his watch. Night was fast approaching. If anyone was trying to get them out, they sure weren't making much noise. He'd gone scouting the floor, first for a bathroom, which he'd found and made sure Nicole got to in a hurry. Then he wanted to look around for anything they might need in case they had to spend the night. He wasn't sure he'd find any luxuries, but any minor comforts would be okay.  
He rattled around in the mostly deserted offices, but toward the end of the undamaged hall, he found one that looked like someone had begun moving in to it. There were boxes and a desk and chair. Daniel went through the boxes, finding nothing but papers and personal belongings of some Colonel or another. But in the third box, Daniel brightened. There was a bomber jacket and a wool blanket. Must have been a souvenir from some sky hop the Air Force Colonel had taken some time. Daniel then searched the desk and felt like a kid at Christmas when he found a Snickers bar and bottled water. He took his ill-gotten bootie back to the office he and Nicole were using.  
The Major was lying on her side, on her uninjured shoulder, rather uncomfortably, on the floor. Her hand was on her belly, which protruded further, it appeared to Daniel, than when she was standing. "Hey, look what I got," he said.  
She sat up. He handed her the candy and the water.  
"You must be my guardian angel," she sighed. She hadn't wanted to tell him, but she had not eaten since before takeoff in the morning and her stomach, as well as they baby, were protesting loudly.  
"We'll go halfers," she said, about to break the candy bar in half.  
"Nah," Daniel said, shaking his head. "I ate one back there in the office," he lied. "You go ahead."

"Sure?" she asked, eagerly unwrapping the chocolate.  
He nodded. He then put the jacket down for her to use as a pillow and the blanket beside it.  
Nicki ate the candy bar ravenously, stopping to wash it down with some water. She offered the bottle to Daniel. He took a small sip, and then gave it back to her.  
"I'm fine. Go ahead." He didn't know when they'd get food or water again, but he knew that the very pregnant Mrs. O'Neill- to -be needed it a lot more then he did. After getting some nourishment and liquid in her, Nicki felt substantially better, but still exhausted and in pain. She lay down again using the butter soft leather jacket for a pillow. Daniel covered her with the blanket.  
  
Daniel slept fitfully. He knew Nicki got some rest, but she too was awake more then asleep. The light never changed in the underground prison, so without a watch, one would never know when it was day or night. They rested when they were tired and woke intermittently to find nothing had changed.  
Nicki was incredibly worried about General Hammond. He should have at least gotten out of the building…if he could have. And what if the vehicles were disabled? If this were some sort of planned attack, they surely would have been. Why, for all she and Daniel knew, the rest of the world had been atomic bombed and they were the last two survivors…surviving until they starved to death, or died of dehydration. That too was heavy on her mind. The bathroom Daniel had found would serve it's purposes, but she had quickly found out there was no running water when she turned on the sink. The bottled water she'd drank after Daniel found it was all the fluid she'd had in hours. She knew dehydration often caused pre-term labor.  
  
Daniel looked at his watch. It was after seven in the morning. What if Hammond hadn't made it out? What if he'd made it out and then been killed by a waiting terrorist? What if the whole place had been blown to bits? He wished he could stop thinking. He kept glancing at Nicki. She didn't look good, in his opinion. She was pale and he knew the shoulder was hurting her more then she let on. He also knew the candy and water last night was hardly enough to sustain her. He , on the other hand, hadn't had anything to eat and drink, but he'd sort of tuned out his churning gut and it eventually shut itself off. He did feel very parched though.  
  
Daniel thought he must have drifted back to sleep on the hard floor, but he awoke with a start when he heard Nicki softly crying, her back to him as sobs choked in her throat.  
He went to her and gently laid a hand on her arm.  
"It'll be okay," he tried to reassure her, although he wasn't much reassured himself.  
She rose up and cried into his chest. He held her, stroking her hair, hoping he was helping.  
Finally, the tears subsided and she looked up at him, feeling foolish.  
"Sorry," she said.  
"Don't worry about it," he told her with a crooked smile.

* * *

General Hammond didn't know who he could trust at Area 51, except his old friend, Colonel Jimmy Langley. He refused to speak to anyone back at the base but Colonel Langley.  
He wouldn't even get medical attention until the Colonel got there.  
  
And then, once he'd told the Colonel about the destruction of the building and the trapped and wounded inside, he asked the Colonel for a phone. There was another call he had to make.

* * *

Nicki was on her way back from the bathroom when the first hard contraction made her reach for the wall to hold herself up. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. The small ones she'd been having hadn't shot through her body like this one did. It felt like someone were ripping her guts out from the inside. She didn't want to tell Daniel. He'd come unglued. As if they weren't in enough of a situation.  
She waited until it passed, then went back into the office, still a little shaky. She sat back on her blanket.  
Daniel was taking off the cover of the heating/cooling duct, although it hardly seemed big enough for his head to fit though.  
Just then, the intercom speaker crackled to life.  
"Daniel, Nicki?" a voice called. It wasn't Hammond.  
Daniel ran to the speaker; Nicki followed more slowly.  
"Yeah!" Daniel yelled, pushing the button. "We're here!"

"You two okay?"

"Is that…?" Nicki began.  
"Yeah Jack, we're okay. General Hammond?"

"He's fine. A little beat up and worn out, but all right. Hey, where's Nicki?"

"I'm right here Jack," she said into the speaker with tears streaming down her face.  
"I'm comin' for you," he told her softly. "Just hang tight."

Nicki couldn't speak but for a small "okay."

"Daniel?" Jack yelled.  
"Right here Jack, you don't have to yell."

"Right. Sorry. Look, we're sending a team in through the damage. They're gonna have to blow a smaller hole in the rubble. You two need to get as far away as you can in about….seven minutes. Got it?" "Will do."

"Okay kids, just hang on." And then Jack was gone.  
Daniel turned to Nicki with a smile. "Lets get to that back office." They turned and headed down the hall when Nicki was wracked by another contraction. This time she couldn't hide it from Daniel. He had to catch her and support her as her knees buckled with the pain.  
"Nicki?" he asked with fear and concern.  
After the gripping pain had passed, she looked at him grimly. "Dehydration," she explained. "It sometimes causes pre-term contractions." Daniel swiftly picked her up into his strong arms and made his way down to the last office. He sat her down by the furthest wall.  
"We'll be outta here in no time," he said with confidence.  
  
The demolitions expert that was with the small deployment of Airmen skillfully opened a hole in the concrete and wood that had blocked the way. Jack and Teal'c made their way through.  
Daniel, after hearing the small C-4 blast, had trotted back to the foyer and down the other hall, meeting Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c as they came through the hole.  
"Man am I glad to see you!" Jackson exclaimed to the big Jaffa.  
"I too am pleased that you are alright Daniel Jackson," Teal'c returned.

"Where's Nicki? Jack asked, his green fatigues covered with concrete dust.

"She's in a back office. She's going to need a medic." Jack followed Daniel at a lope to the office.

Nicki was still there, on her side, crying from both pain and relief that they were getting out.Jack went to her. He scooped her up in his muscular arms. She happily put her arms around his neck and leaned into his shoulder. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to do that again last night.  
Jack carried her all the way up and out of the building to the waiting medic team.

* * *

Once safely in the infirmary of Las Vegas' Nellis Air Force base, Nicki was given IV fluids as well as an IV dose of Brethine, a drug that helped stop contractions. Jack hovered. General Hammond had gotten five stitches in his head wound and was busy in a debriefing with Pentagon officials on the information he'd acquired.Colonel Deek was in stable condition after having surgery to stop some internal bleeding and set his leg, which was broken in three places. He had been advised of his rights, but had not been charged in the destruction.  
Daniel hovered too. He had gotten a band-aid for a cut to his wrist.  
  
"Well, Colonel O'Neill," the infirmary doctor, who didn't bode half as much confidence as Janet Frasier, said. "Major Walker is doing fine. There have been no further pre term contractions, there's no dilation, and the fetal heart tones are stable."

Jack shot the guy a look. See, this is where Janet knew to speak in his language. "English please," Jack asked.  
"The Major and the baby are doing fine. You can stay with her now if you like."

Jack went into the infirmary.  
"So, what happened to taking it easy while I'm away?" he asked immediately.  
Nicki could only shrug. "I got bored?" Jack took her in his arms, hearing the reassuring sound of the baby's heart monitor softly in the background. "I really don't like visiting you in these damn places."

"Feeling's mutual. Lets try to stay out of them for a while. Deal?" "Deal."

"Hey, on the serious side," she said, after Jack had taken a seat beside her. "I really owe Daniel a lot. He took care of me. Us."

Jack nodded. "I wouldn't have expected less."

And speaking of Daniel Jackson, both he and Teal'c now came into the room.  
"Major Walker, you are well?" Teal'c asked.  
"I'm doing better," she said. "Thanks to all of you."

"General Hammond's on the phone with the President. There've been two arrests made, but no one in command," Daniel explained then. "They're still trying to pin it on Deek, but he insists he wasn't involved."

"Typical NID," Jack said. "On a lighter note," he stuck out his hand. "Thanks Danny."

Daniel shook the Colonel's hand. "For what?" he asked, adjusting the glasses that were being held together with tape after being damaged in the explosion.

"For taking care of my two most important packages."

"My pleasure Jack. But Nicki?"

She looked up.  
"Next time we decide to go on a field trip, it's your turn to buy lunch."

She just grinned up at him. "You're on."


End file.
